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  <div class="section" id="module-aetools">
<h1>38.2. <tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetools</span></tt> &#8212; OSA client support<a class="headerlink" href="#module-aetools" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1>
<p><em>Platforms: </em>Mac</p>
<p>The <tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetools</span></tt> module contains the basic functionality on which Python
AppleScript client support is built. It also imports and re-exports the core
functionality of the <a title="(Mac) Python representation of the Apple Event Object Model. (deprecated)" class="reference external" href="aetypes.html#module-aetypes"><tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetypes</span></tt></a> and <a title="(Mac) Conversion between Python variables and AppleEvent data containers. (deprecated)" class="reference external" href="aepack.html#module-aepack"><tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aepack</span></tt></a> modules. The stub packages
generated by <a title="(Mac) Create a stub package from an OSA dictionary" class="reference external" href="gensuitemodule.html#module-gensuitemodule"><tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">gensuitemodule</span></tt></a> import the relevant portions of
<tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetools</span></tt>, so usually you do not need to import it yourself. The exception
to this is when you cannot use a generated suite package and need lower-level
access to scripting.</p>
<p>The <tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetools</span></tt> module itself uses the AppleEvent support provided by the
<a title="(Mac) Interface to the Apple Events toolbox. (deprecated)" class="reference external" href="carbon.html#module-Carbon.AE"><tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">Carbon.AE</span></tt></a> module. This has one drawback: you need access to the window
manager, see section <a class="reference external" href="../using/mac.html#osx-gui-scripts"><em>Running scripts with a GUI</em></a> for details. This restriction may be
lifted in future releases.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="first admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p class="last">This module is removed in 3.0.</p>
</div>
<p>The <tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetools</span></tt> module defines the following functions:</p>
<dl class="function">
<dt id="aetools.packevent">
<tt class="descclassname">aetools.</tt><tt class="descname">packevent</tt><big>(</big><em>ae</em>, <em>parameters</em>, <em>attributes</em><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.packevent" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>Stores parameters and attributes in a pre-created <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">Carbon.AE.AEDesc</span></tt> object.
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">parameters</span></tt> and <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">attributes</span></tt> are  dictionaries mapping 4-character OSA
parameter keys to Python objects. The objects are packed using
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">aepack.pack()</span></tt>.</dd></dl>

<dl class="function">
<dt id="aetools.unpackevent">
<tt class="descclassname">aetools.</tt><tt class="descname">unpackevent</tt><big>(</big><em>ae</em><span class="optional">[</span>, <em>formodulename</em><span class="optional">]</span><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.unpackevent" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>Recursively unpacks a <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">Carbon.AE.AEDesc</span></tt> event to Python objects. The function
returns the parameter dictionary and the attribute dictionary. The
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">formodulename</span></tt> argument is used by generated stub packages to control where
AppleScript classes are looked up.</dd></dl>

<dl class="function">
<dt id="aetools.keysubst">
<tt class="descclassname">aetools.</tt><tt class="descname">keysubst</tt><big>(</big><em>arguments</em>, <em>keydict</em><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.keysubst" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>Converts a Python keyword argument dictionary <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">arguments</span></tt> to the format
required by <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">packevent</span></tt> by replacing the keys, which are Python identifiers,
by the four-character OSA keys according to the mapping specified in
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">keydict</span></tt>. Used by the generated suite packages.</dd></dl>

<dl class="function">
<dt id="aetools.enumsubst">
<tt class="descclassname">aetools.</tt><tt class="descname">enumsubst</tt><big>(</big><em>arguments</em>, <em>key</em>, <em>edict</em><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.enumsubst" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>If the <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">arguments</span></tt> dictionary contains an entry for <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">key</span></tt> convert the value
for that entry according to dictionary <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">edict</span></tt>. This converts human-readable
Python enumeration names to the OSA 4-character codes. Used by the generated
suite packages.</dd></dl>

<p>The <tt class="xref docutils literal"><span class="pre">aetools</span></tt> module defines the following class:</p>
<dl class="class">
<dt id="aetools.TalkTo">
<em class="property">
class </em><tt class="descclassname">aetools.</tt><tt class="descname">TalkTo</tt><big>(</big><span class="optional">[</span><em>signature=None</em>, <em>start=0</em>, <em>timeout=0</em><span class="optional">]</span><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.TalkTo" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>Base class for the proxy used to talk to an application. <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">signature</span></tt> overrides
the class attribute <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">_signature</span></tt> (which is usually set by subclasses) and is
the 4-char creator code defining the application to talk to. <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">start</span></tt> can be
set to true to enable running the application on class instantiation.
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">timeout</span></tt> can be specified to change the default timeout used while waiting
for an AppleEvent reply.</dd></dl>

<dl class="method">
<dt id="aetools.TalkTo._start">
<tt class="descclassname">TalkTo.</tt><tt class="descname">_start</tt><big>(</big><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.TalkTo._start" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>Test whether the application is running, and attempt to start it if not.</dd></dl>

<dl class="method">
<dt id="aetools.TalkTo.send">
<tt class="descclassname">TalkTo.</tt><tt class="descname">send</tt><big>(</big><em>code</em>, <em>subcode</em><span class="optional">[</span>, <em>parameters</em>, <em>attributes</em><span class="optional">]</span><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#aetools.TalkTo.send" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd>Create the AppleEvent <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">Carbon.AE.AEDesc</span></tt> for the verb with the OSA designation
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">code,</span> <span class="pre">subcode</span></tt> (which are the usual 4-character strings), pack the
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">parameters</span></tt> and <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">attributes</span></tt> into it, send it to the target application,
wait for the reply, unpack the reply with <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">unpackevent</span></tt> and return the reply
appleevent, the unpacked return values as a dictionary and the return
attributes.</dd></dl>

</div>


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